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opus 5 vs opus 5.5
See how Opus 5 vs Opus 5.5 performs on demanding reasoning work: matching answers, lower token spend, and faster streaming from identical API prompts.
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Inside the Opus 5 vs Opus 5.5 Cost and Speed Gap
Anthropic says Opus 5.5 cuts spend and latency versus Opus 5. This review checks whether those claims survive demanding reasoning workloads.
- What Anthropic Promises on Price and LatencyThe vendor promises about 40% lower spend, over 30% quicker output, and reasoning on par with Claude Fable 5.1 instead of falling behind Opus 5.
- How API Rates ShiftOpus 5.5 charges $4 per million input tokens and $20 per million output tokens, versus $5 and $25 for Opus 5 — a 20% reduction by itself.
- How the Reasoning Tests WorkBoth models received the same prompts via the Anthropic API, using adaptive thinking at default effort, with one run per problem for each model.
How These Reasoning Runs Were Set Up
Three demanding reasoning tasks, a single run per model, and token counts, elapsed time, and list-price spend recorded for every request.
Opus 5 vs Opus 5.5: Key Findings Side by Side
Spend, token output, generation speed, and failure patterns captured across the Opus 5 vs Opus 5.5 reasoning trials.
Logic Grid Precision
Both models filled all 28 grid cells correctly; Opus 5.5 also noted it had not fully proven the solution was unique.
Output Token Savings
On the stone game Opus 5.5 produced 62% fewer output tokens, and on the logic grid it spent 43% less, mainly by writing more concisely.
Streaming Throughput
Opus 5.5 averaged 103.4 tokens per second versus 93.1 for Opus 5 — roughly 11% quicker, with its strongest single-problem edge at 19%.
Spend by Problem
The logic grid cost $0.16 with Opus 5.5 versus $0.27 with Opus 5; the stone game ran $0.58 versus $1.88, and the full test totaled $10.50.
Where Both Models Stumble
The ordering task stumped both models; either can spend about 20 minutes reasoning and return no answer, and Opus 5.5 ended with a refusal stop reason.
When to Use a Code Tool
If a problem is fundamentally about counting, as the ordering test was, give the model a code execution tool instead of relying on pure reasoning to reach the number.
Common Opus 5.5 Questions Answered
Answers on Opus 5.5 pricing versus Opus 5, response speed, reasoning quality, and when switching makes sense.
Does Opus 5.5 Cost Less Than Opus 5?
Yes. It was 43% less expensive on the logic grid and 69% less on the stone game, chiefly because it generated fewer output tokens.
Is Opus 5.5 Quicker Than Opus 5?
Yes, about 11% faster overall; its best single-task advantage reached 19%, which remains below the 30% figure Anthropic promotes.
Does Opus 5.5 Reason More Accurately?
No. Across the three tasks they performed alike: both solved the logic grid and stone game, and both failed the constrained ordering puzzle.
Why Did Opus 5.5 Reject a Harmless Prompt?
During the ordering test it ended with a refusal stop reason and empty output, probably because a safety filter misread a benign request.
Should You Move to Opus 5.5?
If Opus 5 is your current model, yes: demanding reasoning answers stay consistent while cost and latency drop — set a strict output cap first.
How Can You Keep Costs Down on Hard Tasks?
Cap output length and monitor usage, because either model can think for roughly 20 minutes, return nothing, and still bill for tokens.
Run Your Own Opus 5 vs Opus 5.5 Comparison
Reuse the published prompts, test both models in your environment, and switch to Opus 5.5 with a strict output cap to capture the savings and speed gains.